Uruguay president Lacalle Pou delivers message on freedom that delights producers in Argentina

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – “The success of a ruler is not measured in the reflection of a mirror, it is measured in the reflection of each Uruguayan and the people who live in the country. If people look at their reflection in the mirror at the end of our term and are freer, then the government was successful; if not, we will have failed in the most important aspects, in my opinion.”

With these words, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou delighted Argentine producers attending the Regional Consortia for Agricultural Experimentation (CREA) Conference of the Central and Northern Córdoba regions, held on Monday.

“We want Uruguayans to be freer, free to be able to educate themselves and have tools, to have a decent job and support their families, to be able to express themselves with respect without being punished for it, to be able to trade with the rest of the world to compete,” the president said during the online event, in which he reviewed his presidential administration since taking office in 2019.

With respect to the management of the health situation and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Lacalle Pou once again highlighted the concept of freedom as a key value.

“Even in the days of turbulence and loneliness, I always cherished the concept of freedom. But freedom is responsible. It is of an individual who is inserted in a community. Freedom is the interpretation of the national self,” he stressed.

And he added: “Freedom or death. It has been with us Uruguayans for as long as we can remember. And this freedom was not offered as a gift, it was fought for. The whole world came here to stay and raise its flag on us. Uruguayans aspire to freedom. Uruguayans are also solidary.”

Lacalle Pou said that despite the number of deaths recorded during the pandemic, Uruguay has a different position in the international context than other countries, while stressing that the final decision is always made by the president, who is ultimately responsible for any decision taken by the government.

During his address to the UN General Assembly, the Uruguayan president accused “authoritarian governments that are afraid of freedom and fear their people,” and although recognizing many solidary actions during the Covid-19 pandemic, he considered that the unprecedented world health situation “exposed inequalities and differences.”

Lacalle Pou strongly advocated individual and social freedoms, albeit noting that “freedom without responsibility and solidarity” is inconceivable.

“It was clear that unequal access to tools means that freedom will be enjoyed in different ways. And the false dichotomy between the presence of the State and individual freedom collapsed. Wherever the State fulfills its protective role effectively, the most vulnerable have access to more tools to exercise their freedom,” the president said.

Lacalle Pou reaffirmed his ability to build bridges and reach agreements within the government and stressed that this is part of the democratic culture of his country.

The president stated his position with respect to sustainability and described it as a generational obligation. He said that environmentally sustainable practices may be more costly, albeit recognizing that more developed countries value and consume what has less of an environmental footprint.

“Uruguay is in an objective starting position with many elements in its favor,” the president stressed.